sleeve success stories?

I see a lot of people on this site representing the RNY and DS, but I'm becoming more interested in the VSG. Can you share how yours has affected you?

Thanks!

18 months post-op and I have the best life ever. All the changes and benefits you've read about have come true. Is therel something specific you are looking for?

There is a forum here called WLS Graduates might help you as well.

Various surgeries are touted as being better or worse for various people and for various reasons. I think the biggest impact on how well you do is not necessarily the surgery type, but how much you dedicate yourself after that.

That's fantastic!  I'm so glad you have a wonderful life and you found a tool to help you get there:)

I guess I was just looking for general feedback/experience because I haven't considered VSG until recently.  I wondered if people could have as much success as I've seen with other procedures or if complications seemed more common  (ie lapband)

I see a lot of people on this site representing the RNY and DS, but I'm becoming more interested in the VSG. Can you share how yours has affected you?

Thanks!

I haven't had mine yet so I can't tell you how it affected me, but I can tell you why I'm choosing it.

1) I like that it's not switching stuff around.

2) Most importantly, it won't mess with my XR medication and I don't want future options to be limited to non-XR options. The official jury is still out if the reduction of gastric enzymes affects med absorption, but people I've talked to who take XR antidepressants have all said they've not experienced any differences. If I wanted RNY my mental health team would not support me because of the malabsorption. I won't risk losing the great team I have after having a not so great team. I'd rather be obese than have to mess around with medication and lose them.

3) I don't have diabetes nor is there a family history of diabetes. RNY seems to be the best at immediate disease resolution. (edit to add: datachick is right, in the end it really is up to you. Eventually people lose the malabsorptive properties of RNY and if diet hasn't been changed properly the diabetes will most likely return)

Just curious, what is attracting you to the VSG?

FYI, the sleeve can resolve diabetes pretty quickly too.  I was a type II diabetic for 7 years.  My diabetes was gone within 6 weeks of my surgery.

That's great! My mother and grandfather had diabetes, so I'm at risk hereditarily and because of my weight.  Thrilled to know this surgery will help in that area too :)

I am considering it for similar reasons as you.

-need absorption for meds

-seems less drastic/less complications (no dumping, stomach functions pretty normally, just smaller)

-more control (won't be scared i'm wasting away 2 years from now)

Those are a few.  I might be wrong about some of it, I haven't been to my seminar yet and have just been researching online; feel free to point it out if you think I am. Thats another reason I wanted to find out people's experiences.   They all have great pros but the cons matter too and the patients probably know those better than the doctors. :)

Great minds think alike. You'll get a better idea of your surgeons style and get a better feel for things once you go to the seminar. Hearing things explained gives me a different perspective than reading.

In the mean time you could write out a separate pros and cons for each procedure. Bring those to your consult and ask them person you meet with if your pros and cons are reasonable or wrong. They can help the the bariatric surgery team see your thought process. I went to my consult prepared with all the reasons I thought VSG was the right surgery for me and the bariatric coordinator agreed with me 100%. She did say since the procedure has not been around very long they don't have 10+ years worth of good stats, which I'm fine with. It's been around long enough to show it's safe. When I started researching WLS a few months ago I was convinced I'd end up with the band. But research quickly changed my mind.

Depending on your insurance requirements we could end up having surgery within a month or two of each other. My 6 month program doesn't start until next Thursday. I had to wait a month to get the introductory 1 hour appointment with the dietitian/nutritionist, after that the visits (5 more) are just 30 minutes. My understanding is they'll submit my paperwork to insurance at the 5 or 5 and a half month point. Just in time for the holiday season, which I'm fine with.

My health was going down hill very quickly.  I was morbidly obese, uncontrolled high blood pressure, high cholestrol, ready to go on meds for type II diabetes, problems breathing, enlarged heart, etc.  I can say that I have been released from all of my doctors and I am not on any medications.  I have lost between 120 - 125 lbs and have been maintaining for about 6 months.  This has been the best thing that I have ever done for myself.  Also my family has reaped the benefits and they are also now more healthy by them changing their habits on their own, not my forcing them to. 

I had tried weight loss doctors, weigh****chers, etc but it is different this time.  I had hit rock bottom and what I have learned about myself and how I eat now are second nature and the sleeve gave me the time to concentrate on my bad habits.  I know that I will always have to stay on top of my weight and watch what I eat but it is what I should have been doing all along.  This is not a diet or a magic bullet, it is a new way of life and I can not get too ****y or I will end up back where I started!

I love that way of thinking about it.  Your story is an inspiration.  I hope I can work as hard as you have :)